Laneway Presents Purity Ring

24 April 2015

Renowned for their sensory and highly visual performances, Purity Ring – the duo of Megan James and Corin Roddick – will play three headline dates when visiting Australia for the sold-out Splendour In The Grass festival: appearing at Melbourne’s 170 Russell on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 July and Sydney’s Metro Theatre on Monday 27 July.

A dizzying balancing act of crystalline melody, svelte synths and expertly tamed beats, the Canadian duo have emerged as indie heavyweights with their weightless pop, having broken through with 2012’s debut album Shrines, which was followed by a second album, the celebrated Another Eternity, in February of this year.

Another Eternity sees Purity Ring embrace wide-open expanses of sound, with singles 'Push Pull' and 'Begin Again' sonically immediate and rich in lyrical detail which Pitchfork have called “Compulsively listenable.” The album has received accolades globally, with local media applauding also. Triple J celebrated the release with Album Of The Week back in March and has stated "Another Eternity delivers a larger sound for Purity Ring, drowning in evocative and euphoric melodies, ecstatic percussion and lyrically transporting you to a new celestial space." The Age said in their 4.5 star review, “Another Eternity fixes its gaze skyward, and ascends, heavenly, one song at a time,” and The Music claimed "Purity Ring have delivered another album of spellbinding pop perfection."

In the past two years, Purity Ring have collaborated with hip hop provocateur Danny Brown on his single 25 Bucks - for which James features in the video – and also performed the song with Brown on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. English electronic musician Jon Hopkins further enlisted Megan for a stunning vocal on his 2014 single 'Breathe This Air', and just last month, their appearance on Conan (with Conan O’Brien) performing 'Bodyache' was hailed by Pitchfork.

Their mind-blowing live shows are some of the most forward-thinking productions in contemporary music. The band utilizes custom, light-based instruments that control and interact with the music in astonishing ways. It's an immersive experience for both the band and audience alike. Watch a Creators Project short on their 2012 tour here.

“Rock music is made on drums and guitars, so you can watch someone recreate it on stage on instruments. But with electronic music that’s made strictly on a laptop, you can’t really watch someone in the original environment that they created it. Or you could, but I don’t think it would be very stimulating. So you have to go above and beyond and find different means of actually creating a show.” – Megan James

Performing songs from Another Eternity in Australia for the first time, Purity Ring will be joined by special guests at both shows which will be announced shortly.

St. Jerome's Laneway Festival is about leading new and revered seminal music. The festival has always been interested in finding what's fresh and great and bringing it to unique settings and surrounds to be appreciated by music lovers.

The size of the festivals, the locations and the way we encourage community all form part of the way in which the Laneway team strive to present a live music experience like no other.